South Korea

Park sorry for welfare rollbacks

South Korean President Park Geun-hye apologized to senior citizens on Friday over the latest in a series of damaging rollbacks over welfare spending - a key plank of her election campaign. "I am truly regretful and apologetic," Park told pensioners during a lunch meeting a day after she reneged on a campaign pledge to provide a monthly allowance of 200,000 won ($186) to all senior citizens aged 65 or above.

Afghanistan

Police arrest 3 Taliban fighters

Units of Afghan police raided a Taliban hideout in the Sarkano district of the eastern Kunar province on Friday and captured three armed militants, according to the provincial police chief. Habibullah Sayed Khili said at a news conference that the police acted "upon (an) intelligence report" and captured the rebels early on Friday.

Japan

TEPCO seeks to restart plant

Tokyo Electric Power Co applied to restart a nuclear plant on Friday in northwestern Japan, an initial step on its planned recovery from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But final approval to resume power generation at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa facility, the world's largest nuclear plant some 300 km northwest of Tokyo, is uncertain and any decision would take many months at best.

The Philippines

15 more rebels killed in firefight

Philippine government forces have killed 15 more Moro National Liberation Front fighters in the latest firefight in Zamboanga city, the military said on Friday. "We killed 15 members of the MNLF Misuari faction in a single engagement," said Ramon Zagala, public affairs office chief of the army.

Reuters-AFP-Xinhua

(China Daily 09/28/2013 page7)